Sparks
by CassieHalliday
Summary: Elena was taken in and trained by SHIELD as a child thanks to her power over electricity. Then she joins the Avengers initiative, and everything changes. She has to learn to be more than what she was trained for, but maybe she'll need someone to help. Bruce/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Hope you enjoy! My first posted story so please review- constructive criticism is appreciated as much as positive comments. **

Elena sprinted down the dark alleyway, dodging between the bins and general clutter which littered the narrow space. A pack of strange creatures were hot on her heels, slobbering and snarling like rabid dogs. They looked like a cross between a wolf and a bear, running on all fours at top speed towards the small but obviously fit young girl.

She came to a chain link fence and, without hesitation, climbed the wire and flipped herself gracefully over the top, skilled as a free-runner. She landed carefully, avoiding the broken glass that was strewn around, but did not continue to run ahead. Instead she waited on the opposite side of the meagre barrier, waiting for the nightmare creatures to catch up. As the first reached its goal, it jumped up, scrambling against the metal. Elena fearlessly placed her hand against the wiring, and with a hum of electricity, the animal whimpered like a pup and fell to the ground, shuddering in its death throes.

Two of its comrades died the same way before they realised what was happening, and the remaining five staged a mass charge upon the fence, pushing easily through the loosely bolted structure. Elena ran, legs and arms pumping to gain momentum as she reached the end of the passage. Past it, she could see the bright lights of the Spanish advertisements and the motion of passers by. If any of the mutts got past, there would be chaos. So she turned to face her foes.

As they clattered towards her on their sharp, hooked claws, Elena closed her eyes, calmed her mind, and held her palms out in front of her. The wolves slowed down to a stalking pace, ready to pounce. She pulled at the power she held in her fingertips, then opened her eyes, revealing electric blue, dilated orbs which seemed to pulse with lightning. The creatures never stood a chance. Flashes of electricity shot forward, hitting each one fully in the chest. They dropped to the floor, dead and smouldering slightly. Their killer stood for a moment, leaning against a side wall as if she was about to faint, but she recovered herself.

Elena indifferently activated the communicator in her ear, pressing the little button on the side. "This is agent Electra. Threat subdued. Mutations disposed of. Calling for pick up at coordinates 26,5,34,9." Even from her post at ground level, she could hear the whirring of the chopper blades as the helicopter landed on a nearby rooftop. Her communicator buzzed.

"Agent hill to agent Electra. Coordinates confirmed. Can you see us?"  
"Affirmative. Heading your way now." She let go of the button and stepped out into the street, sticking out like a sore thumb in her uniform, the grey bodysuit that all shield agents donned. It was comfortable and perfect for all the running and gymnastics she ended up doing, but it really wasn't your usual business suit. She subtly grabbed a hat from a stand outside a shop, and then a long coat to cover her clothes, erasing the CCTV footage with a flick of her hand.

She walked quickly down the busy road, grateful of the anonymity that big cities like this allowed. She looked up at the rooftops again, then slipped into another side street, grabbed the high fire escape ladder and tiredly hauled herself up onto it. She climbed the rickety rungs with speed, stepping out onto the rooftop, ducking under the deadly spinning blades of the helicopter. The door of the copter swung open to reveal the familiar face of agent Hill. Relieved to get off her feet for a while, Elena jumped into the vehicle, closing the door behind her.

"Back to base?" She asked. "I'm sure Coulson's got quite the cover-up to stage, eight escaped experiments running amuck through the side-streets of Lima."  
"Actually," the woman beside her replied, flicking controls and causing the machine to rise up into the air. "We're taking a bit of a detour."

"Where?" Elena asked absently.  
"We're collecting Romanoff and then heading to India. There's been an emergency." Hill responded. The helicopter fell quiet as Elena wondered what had happened. She didn't keep up with Fury's pet projects, preferring to stick to her missions, so she had no clues to go on.

She remembered Romanoff. The two had been trained together, but she hadn't seen her in a long time. Natasha was always Fury's favourite, so she and her partner got sent off everywhere while Elena finished off the easier stuff. She had once asked why- Coulson had only told her that her powers took too much out of her for anything major, which was fair enough considering she was continually on the verge of fainting from using too much energy. She had no partner either. She didn't need or want one, so she kept to herself, and she was happy that way.

There was no friendly greeting between the two women when the helicopter touched down on the hot Tarmac of a remote airfield somewhere in India. The redhead and the brunette only shook hands briefly before getting down to business. "What's the mission?" Elena queried formally.

"Dr. Bruce Banner, though you may know him better as the hulk." Romanoff looked up expectantly but received only a blank look.  
"Natasha, you know I don't keep up with politics." She sighed. The other agent handed her a file, the shield logo emblazoned across the front. Inside were photos and papers all concerning the good doctor and his... Other half. "Wow." Elena muttered.

"Yeah. I'd convince him myself, but we need someone who can keep him under control if he gets angry. He probably won't, but we're not taking chances after the last time he was set loose." Romanoff explained. "Come on."

A short drive later, and they were at a rickety old hut in the middle of nowhere. "Why would he come here?" Questioned Elena, confused.  
"Trust me. He will." Natasha smiled, completely under control. It was not thirty seconds before a girl of perhaps only ten years old ran in the door. She quickly darted into the shack and immediately clambered out the window again. Through the door stepped Dr. Bruce Banner. He looked around, feeling stupid at being tricked. "Should have got payed up front..." He muttered to himself.

Natasha stood and watched him. "For a man who's supposed to be avoiding stress, you sure picked a hell of a place to settle." She commented.  
"That's not the secret." Banner replied. Natasha smirked at her own joke.  
"What is it then? Yoga?" The doctor ignored her. He looked at Elena in the corner.  
"Edge of the city. And I assume we're surrounded?" He questioned  
"Just us." Lied Romanoff.

"Are you really starting them that young now?" He asked, nodding his head towards the girl's exit, perfectly calm.

"We did." Answered Natasha, simply. Elena nodded in agreement, remembering their early days. She leaned against a creaking wall, playing the muscle. Despite her short height, Elena radiated obvious power. Or maybe it was just static.

"Who are you anyway. Here to kill me? Because that's not going to work." He smiled grimly as if it was some dark private joke of his.  
"Natasha Romanoff. And this is Agent Electra. We're here on behalf of SHIELD." She informed him. Bruce banner put his head in his hands.  
"How'd they find me?" He groaned.  
"We never lost you. We even threw some interested parties off your scent. But now we need you to come with us."  
"Why?" He asked, simply.

"Nick fury seems to think you won't be a danger. It's the tesseract." She was thrown a blank look, so she passed him her cell phone, screen bright with the picture of the cube. "Does he want me to swallow it or something?" Banner grinned.  
"He wants you to find it." Natasha told him, finally serious. "No one knows gamma radiation like you. You can trace it. Talk to Fury, he needs you on this."  
"He needs me in a cage?" Banner asked, his temperament putting both women on edge.  
"No one's going to..."  
"Stop lying to me!" He cried, standing up and pushing his chair back angrily. Natasha grabbed her gun. Elena held out her hands and directed a warning shot at him, a little bolt that was just enough to send him back into his seat in shock.

Banner smiled again, close to outright laughter. "Sorry, that was mean. I just wanted to see what you'd do- what she's here for. Obviously not her conversational skills." He turned to Elena. "Impressive. Nice to know there's another freak around." he made his decision, and again addressed Natasha. "Don't worry, we'll do this the easy way, without the other guy making a mess, and without using your friend here as a tranquilliser dart."

Natasha clicked her earpiece. "Stand down. We're good here."  
"Just us, you say?" Grinned Banner, looking out the window and seeing the lined gunmen. "I'm almost flattered."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two! In this chapter, we leave the movie scenes and have a lot more original content now that everything has been introduced. Also, check out my one shot; Do you speak bird? Follow, favourite, review and enjoy!**

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Elena sat in the helicarrier. After the relatively painless job of picking up Banner and bringing him to shield, she was now allowing herself to rest for a while and recharge. After the adventure in Lima, she had tired herself out. In all honesty, in her state she probably wouldn't have been able to hold back the hulk running that low on power, so now she needed to relax. Every avenger was on board now- Elena was impressed. Captain America, iron man, the black widow, the hulk; everyone but Barton. She had known Hawkeye well enough, both being some of shield's favourite assassins, and she was a little sad that he was now turned to the dark side.

She leaned back on a chair and closed her eyes, hoping that relaxation would come. She'd usually just sleep when she needed to recharge, but now was not the time or place for dozing off. A male voice came from behind her. "Well, if it isn't my favourite agent." She quickly spun around and smiled widely. Coulson had been like a dad to her ever since she had arrived at shield when she was just four.  
"Haven't gotten Captain America's autograph yet?" She teased, grinning cheekily.  
"Don't worry, I will." He answered, perfectly serious.

"What's my post?" She asked him.  
"You're to watch Banner." Elena groaned. Stuck on guard duty. "We're not taking any chances with the hulk, and you're the only one with any chance of bringing him down if it's needed." He explained.

Just as he was about to go, Elena called him back. He looked at her impatiently, needing to get back to his own duties. "Hey, why am I left here when the rest are all headed for Germany? You know I'm as good as any of the others. If anyone could help with this, I could!" She complained. Coulson looked at her pityingly.  
"I've told you before. You tire too soon. You could fight, sure, but for how long could you last? And we don't want anyone getting word of our secret weapon." He flattered, trying to comfort her, but she was determined.

"I can't stay hidden all the time! I've been here for what, twenty plus years, and I've spent most of that time cooped up in bases. And now you want me to sit around and be the hulk's nanny, when the whole world is in danger! This isn't what I was trained for!" She ranted.  
"I'm sorry, Elena. But there's nothing I can do about it." Coulson turned to leave. "Oh, and stay away from Stark, would you? He already tried it with Natasha last time they met- just don't take anything he says seriously, okay?" Elena laughed half-heartedly and waved as he left, then sighed and set off towards the labs.

She hadn't even made it the whole way down the nearest corridor before Coulson's prophecy came true. "The elusive Electra!" Tony greeted, as he rounded the corner. He leaned confidently against the wall blocking her path. "I've heard plenty about you." Elena crossed her arms.  
"Really? And what have you heard exactly- they like to keep me hidden away around here." She replied.

"Just that you have some pretty wicked abilities..." Stark bantered back. "You've obviously heard of me."  
"Iron man... Yeah. The idol of millions of teenage fan girls." She pretended to consider for a moment. "I could take you any day." Tony snorted.  
"Oh yeah? Can you fly? Can you shoot missiles from your hands?" He argued.  
"No." Elena agreed. "But what does your suit run on? I could drain your battery faster than you could shout for help." She boasted. Tony smiled back.  
"I'll remember that. We should have a one-on-one sometime."  
"Sure. Anytime." She pushed past him. He flinched at the static shock her touch always gave, and she laughed back at him as she walked on towards the lab.

Down the twisting corridors of the helicarrier, she found the lab, surrounded by glass panels, Bruce banner hurrying around inside, typing and twiddling on computers and monitors, moving deftly from one machine to another.

She pushed the door open without bothering to knock- she was too tired and bored for formalities. She walked in authoritatively and fell into a seat. There were a few moments of silence. "Has my babysitter arrived, then?" Bruce said, only partly joking.  
"Yep. I'm supposed to watch you, make sure you don't get into any trouble." Elena sighed. "Put you down if anything goes wrong." She laughed morbidly. Banner shuddered and took a step further away from his new companion.

"I thought everyone was going to go catch Loki in Germany?" Banner asked.  
"Yeah, well they don't like to let me out too much. I'm stuck here with you." She answered, resentful.  
"Nice to feel welcome, isn't it..." He muttered sarcastically. Elena snorted. "So how did you end up working for shield?" He asked, still jabbing away at the numerous keyboards.

"Been here since I was a kid." She shrugged.  
"I was trying to be sensitive about it. I mean how did you end up with lightning bolts zapping from your hands." Bruce admitted. Elena sighed. It was a rubbish story.  
"I stuck my fingers in a plug socket." She confessed. "According to my file there was something wrong with the electrics and I got a couple of hundred thousand volts through me. For some reason, instead of frying my insides, it made me this. Next thing you know, I'm blowing up the electrics." She told him. "There was some theory about an abnormally mutated nervous system absorbing and using the current, but I don't know the science of it, and they haven't exactly tested anything..."

Even she had to admit it was one of the most boring ways of getting superpowers ever- being a four year old who broke the golden rule of 'don't play with plug sockets'. "After a while my folks couldn't handle having a toddler who made light bulbs explode, so they left me at some care home. Shield picked me up there, and I've been working for them ever since."

"I guess you know how I ended up like this." Banner said, quietly.  
"I've read your file." Elena confessed. "I'm sorry."  
"Don't be." He assured her. "You said you kept blowing things up... How do you control it?" He asked, curious.  
"I don't know." She shrugged. "Whenever I got emotional- angry, sad, ecstatic, it would just set it off. Over time I learned to use it, and when I used it regularly there were no more random outbursts. It was like I'd held it back so long, and when it was free, I was free too."

Banner listened carefully and considered. He seemed to compare their situations, almost as if he were wondering if he could learn to control what he was as well. "Judging by the fact that they think you have enough power to hold the hulk, I think you're like me, you know." he said."Both freak mutants, with too much power, so that people cut us off. Too dangerous, that's what we are." Elena didn't understand what he was talking about- she wasn't being cut off. She wasn't a danger to anyone shield didn't want her to be a danger to. So she didn't say anything, nodding politely, and Banner just looked a little disappointed with her reaction.

He returned to playing on the computers, things Elena didn't understand at all. Her way of working technology was to tell it to do something, and it did it. Simple. Some of the many useful things she could do included turning things on from fifty feet, and switching off annoying sounds. What a waste... She thought.

She noticed one of the monitors on the computers was taking a long time to load. Out of habit, she clicked her fingers, and the loading was finished immediately. Banner twisted around, confused. "Was that you?"  
"Yeah." Elena shrugged.  
"Umm... Thanks." He stared at her for a minute, as if sizing her up.

Elena ignored it, focusing on her hands, and causing little bolts of electricity to run up and down her fingers for amusement. She was so tired... Elena yawned. "Tired?" The scientist asked, echoing her own thoughts. Elena nodded awkwardly, trying to stop her eyes from closing.

"I used up a lot of energy earlier. I just need to recharge a bit. I'll be fine." She insisted.  
"Just sleep for a while." Banner suggested, trying to help.  
"Can't sleep on duty." Elena remarked.  
"Go ahead, I'll just be doing this for a while. Everyone else is off fighting goodness knows what." He pushed. Elena gave in, not really wanting to argue anyway, and feeling a little touched at his concern.  
"Fine. Wake me if you feel like you're gonna switch out or something." With that, she placed her head down on the desk and promptly fell asleep.

She was woken by a burst of chatter in her earpiece. It was sudden and sharp, making her jump up, and it took her a second to fight past the sleep and realise what she was being told. They had Loki- and, apparently, his brother too. And they were being taken aboard right now. She hastily fixed her rebelliously frizzy brown hair, as the plait that usually held (most of it) together had come loose as she slept. She had a theory that it was all the static electricity that made her hair stick out so much.

They were needed. She stood up quickly, almost upsetting a cup of coffee that someone had left for her. She looked at it for a moment, realising it must have been the doctor. "Thanks." She said curtly, unsure how to react. She downed the mug of caffeine-filled liquid, and immediately felt better. "Come on. They've got him. Meeting in the briefing room."


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow! Good to see so many faves and follows! Thanks to Jovie black, Kourtney Mizzel, LHNT, TheLostPumpkinPrincess112495, HydeHijacktGackt, Stacey Baggins and crystalgirl78. I hope you like this new chapter, a bit of lab banter and spying Tony. Enjoy!**

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Elena had watched the proceedings of the meeting as an observer only. She already knew what was going on- there wasn't really much new. Thor had seemed alright, if a touch too sentimental towards his brother for Elena's taste, but in her line of business there wasn't much room for sentiment. His brother was "as mad as a bag of cats" as Bruce had put it. He wasn't going to give anything away. But within her own mind, Elena was already formulating a plan.

As the briefing ended, and all were dismissed to their posts, Elena found the more experienced agent and whispered her idea into Natasha's ear. Her co-schemer turned and nodded in mutual understanding of the plan, and Romanoff headed off in the direction of Loki's cell and Elena's eyes followed her, watching.

"Coming?" Came the sarcastic tone of Tony Stark. He and Banner now seemed the best of friends, bonding over their shared genius. It was terrible to watch. Now Elena had two uncontrollables to take care of...

The three returned to the lab, Banner and Stark laughing all the way. But as Tony entered the lab, Banner held back. "You talk in your sleep, did you know that? You kind of seemed... Scared." He asked. Elena ignored the comment, unable to discern whether he was genuinely concerned or just working out her weaknesses. He knew about the nightmares though, and that was definitely a weakness. Weaknesses were something to be hidden.

"Let's just say getting blasted with hundreds of thousands of volts is no walk in the park." She answered defensively. "And not something you forget easily, even after twenty years." Elena could still remember the day it had happened. It had been like fiery demons dancing through her nerves, crackling and fizzing in every cell of her body. Shocks had no effect on her now, but as her tiny, four year old self had lain on the floor screaming in agony, no one had come, her parents not even hearing her cries. Banner backed off, wary of her angry answer.

For the next few hours, Elena sat in her chair and watched the science happen. It seemed a long, arduous process that she wouldn't have had the patience for, but the pair seemed happy, and as long as Banner wasn't stressed, Elena was happy too. But, boy, was she bored. She resorted to playing stupid games on her phone, but even that couldn't entertain her, considering she could beat every game just by telling the phone what to do. After beating her highscore for the twentieth time, she dropped the gadget with a sigh.

Then she noticed Tony in her periphery, discreetly sneaking up to Banner with an electric prod. Idiot. She thought, immediately inhibiting the current in the device. Tony poked Banner in the back with it, and when he turned around, confused, Stark looked on in dismay for a second before working it out and looking accusatorially at Elena. She raised her eyebrows ironically before telling the small prod to send the shock into its handler. She laughed as Tony dropped the prod with a shout, and was joined in her laughter by Bruce, when he realised what was happening.

Steve entered the lab to find the trio all laughing together, and gave each a disapproving look. "Shouldn't you be working?" He asked. Tony gave a mock salute.  
"Sir, yes, sir." He teased, setting the others into inappropriate hysterics again. The captain sighed at them as they tried to contain themselves.  
"You need to focus on the problem at hand, Stark." He said coldly.

"Oh, but I am. I am finding all the variables in this equation. Why does Fury want us now? Why not before?"  
"You think Fury's hiding something?" Asked Steve quizzically.  
"I think you should be asking her." Said Tony pointedly. All three men turned to look expectantly at Elena. "What exactly does shield want the tesseract for?" He continued. Elena rolled her eyes.

She knew what they wanted it for. But she wasn't going to tell them that. "Maybe we should be asking you, Stark. You think I didn't notice your bug in Fury's computer? I can feel every amp and volt flowing through this entire craft and you think you can sneak a bug in under my nose?" She held up the small device she had retrieved from Fury's desk, and Tony's jaw dropped.

"You can tell your little AI friend thanks from me. For such a lot of security he was surprisingly easy to control down the computer. You haven't been downloading anything. I thought you were just being your usual egotistical, nosy self. I wasn't even going to tell Fury. But you're prying too far here. This is shield business. You're here to find the tesseract, not to push your moral code onto the US government." She watched as all three men looked at her in a mixture of awe and annoyance. "Get back to work. I think you're forgetting that I'm not just a nanny."  
"Yeah, you're a brainwashed government spy..." Muttered Tony resentfully, but Elena ignored him.

Without another word, work was resumed. Steve left the lab, and Stark and Banner returned to their computers. But the atmosphere was changed. No one dared say a word, and for some reason, Elena almost felt sad about the disappointed looks being thrown her way. Almost.

Her earpiece crackled again with an incoming message from the Black Widow. She had carried out the plan, and now Elena awaited the results. "Loki plans to unleash the hulk. On our way to the lab now." Came her answer, and the noise cut off. Aware that she couldn't let Banner hear anything about this, she sneaked a discreet look at him, working away. If he knew, the stress might set him off and play right into Loki's hands. She didn't say a word, shifting slightly in her seat to ensure she had a direct aim at Banner if anything did go wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

**Are you ready for chapter four? It's time for Elena to make a choice. Would welcome any reviews, bad or good, to see what my lovely followers think so far! Working on some new projects too at the moment, so keep an eye out and, as usual, enjoy!**

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It wasn't long before Fury swept into the lab, tailed by Romanoff, demanding news on their findings. His face was screwed up with annoyance, and his expression certainly lived up to his name. "Sweeping for the signature now. We should have it soon, and we'll have the location within half a mile." Reported Banner.

"But before we give you anything, we would like to know why you want this thing. We're not giving you any information until we find out. I've locked the computers' data and will hold it hostage until I know what the tesseract is being used for." Stark looked pointedly at Elena. "There's more than one way to get to the bottom of things, princess." Elena stood up from her seat, angry. Fury stood there, enraged at being blackmailed, but unsure of what to do, until Steve walked determinedly into the lab and slammed some unidentifiable weapon down on the table. Natasha sighed, apparently fed up with the pacifistic proceedings.

"Here's what they want the tesseract for." He announced. "Weapons." Fury sighed. The game was up. Whilst shield had accepted the need for protection against their newly discovered threats, they had decided not to mention anything to those outside of the organisation, knowing they could easily react in the exact way they were reacting now.

"I'm not giving you anything that you can turn into weapons of mass destruction." Declared Tony, folding his arms stubbornly. Fury nodded at Elena, a signal. She stepped forward, placed her hand on the hard drive, and gasped, staring blindly as millions of bytes of information flowed into her brain. Banner started towards her, looking worried as she screwed up her face in a mixture of pain and concentration, earning himself a questioning look from Stark. Then, suddenly, she was released.

"Got it." She muttered, rubbing her temples as one hell of a headache began to take over. "Give me a second to sift through." Thor had joined the gathering whilst she was in her pseudo-trance, and several different arguments had all broken out at once. Thor was arguing with Fury, Natasha with Banner, Steve with Tony. Elena nursed her head and rocked back and forth like a mental patient as the fights got louder and louder.

Elena couldn't concentrate on any of the fighting and yelling, still suffering the effects of her computer reading. Between the information attack and the wave of noise, She was starting to feel overwhelmed, her hold over her powers slipping as she became more and more agitated.

"We have to protect our planet!" Proclaimed Fury.  
"I thought your people were more evolved than this!" Thor exclaimed.  
"Are you really that naive?" Natasha mocked.

They were all so busy arguing that no one noticed that the computers had started to fizz with static, the lights were buzzing and flickering, and sparks were beginning to flash out of every piece of electronic equipment in the room as Elena became gradually more stressed in the corner. It was like when she was little, when she had no control over her powers. Suddenly, she heard something that interested her in the yelling, just as the occupants of the room continued not to notice the electrical issues.

"What do you mean, threats?" She was ignored. Finally reaching the climax of her frustration, every machine in the room, including the lights, switched off. There was a collective confusion before they realised what had happened. Plunged into darkness, Elena was finally recognised."What did you say?" She asked Natasha again. The agent cleared her throat.  
"Shield monitors threats..." Relayed Natasha bemusedly. Banner shuffled slightly in his position, as if he was contemplating whether or not to explain.

"We're all threats. And I'd say you're one too. Remember what I said earlier? Why do you think they don't let you out on missions? Look at what you can do, and tell me you couldn't take on the world and come out unscathed." He spoke ashamedly, and Elena could tell he was almost referring to himself, in a way. Suddenly frightened, she shuddered, and one of the lights sparked. Everyone jumped at the sudden flash, startled and on edge.

"This is what he's doing, isn't it. We're not a team, we're a time bomb. All he has to do is wait for us to explode." Banner warned. He was getting slowly more agitated, but the rest of the room was in too much shock to notice. They all seemed worried about their own problems, still caught up in their own opinions, all except Banner, who seemed more worried about losing it than anything else. Elena wondered if he half wanted her to be able to stop him, to shock him with lightning until he was unable to shift into 'the other guy'.

Fury started to gather his wits. "Agent Electra." He said formally, warningly, "I think to should escort dr. Banner to..."  
"To where? My cell! Sorry, I think you rented it out!" He shouted.  
"The cell was just in case..."  
"In case you needed to kill me? But you can't, trust me, I tried!" He confessed. "I got low. I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it back out! But I was good, until you dragged me back here and put everyone at risk!" He was yelling now, and Elena didn't even realise that he had taken the sceptre until Fury and Romanoff grabbed their guns.

"Dr. Banner, can you put down the sceptre, please." Fury instructed. Banner looked down in shock before replacing the weapon, slowly and carefully. "Now get him out of here before he does something he'll regret, Electra. But first tell me where the tesseract is." For a minute, Elena was silent. She looked around, seeing the results of using her powers out of control. Using them as a real threat, against real people. Everyone watched her as she said nothing, then Bruce moved slowly towards her.

He stood right in front of her, and put his hands on her shoulders. "Elena. You don't have to tell them, please. You can't let them use the tesseract like this. Please..." Elena tried to reply, but no words came out. "Please, I know you're not their tool. Just help us."

He looked into her confused eyes, until they suddenly changed, her forehead scrunching and shock taking over as she finally found the information everyone was looking for. "I know where the tesseract is." She said slowly. "But why would it be..."

Then came the explosion.  
Everything was dust. Everyone suddenly flew up into the air as the room exploded. Tony and Steve, forgetting their feud, suddenly came to a mutual understanding as Fury yelled instructions at them. Elena couldn't tell what was being said, her ears being muffled by the blast and her eyes hidden behind the mask of floating debris.

Then she saw him. Banner was lying on the ground, gripping the floor as if it could hold him back. She crawled quickly over to him, and he shouted desperately to her. "Quick! You have to do something! Please! I can't stop him, you have to do it." But Elena shook her head sadly, scared, and he looked at her in pain and fear. "You have to save me..." He begged.  
"I... I used up too much energy. I couldn't hold it back, I couldn't... I need to recharge. I'm so sorry." She apologised.

"Try to stop it." She soothed. "You can hold it, you're not him, you have to..."  
"I'm sorry." He interrupted, finally accepting his fate. "Run now." She shook her head, refusing to leave him like this, but he continued. "Please, I don't want to kill you. They need whatever you have left out there. Go!" He demanded. His eyes were turning green now, and the shout was more like a growl. She looked to Natasha on the ground next to her. "Go." She agreed. "We're going to be fine, Bruce. Right? Swear on my life." Elena hesitated. "Go. Fury needs you out there. Go!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, I have an extremely important question which must be answered! I was originally going to end the story with the end of the movie, with the possibility of a sequel when Avengers 2 comes out, but this has been much more popular than I expected, so; I would like to do a sort of in between bit with more focus on Elena as an agent and on the romance! Please comment and tell me whether you think I should keep updating or wait for the sequel. I need replies! As usual, enjoy this new chapter- I've even thrown in another cliffhanger for you!**

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"You see, this is what happens when you don't follow orders!" Fury yelled, as they ran through the corridors full of rubble. "Now you've used yourself up, and you can't even do what you were placed here for!"

"It's too late for that now!" She shouted back, spinning on her heels to face the director. "What can I do? I may not have enough to fight the hulk but I've still got something left up my sleeve." Fury sighed, knowing there was nothing he could do anymore.  
"Engine two cut out after the explosion. Get that thing restarted before we fall out of the sky." She nodded and sprinted down the hallways. "And Electra?" He called back at her. She stopped and waited for him to speak, not turning around. "If you ever do something like that again, then I'll have to kill you." Elena grimaced to herself, feeling wild and free and out of control for the first time in a long time.  
"I'd like to see you try." Then she resumed her journey, jogging on towards the huge engine. Rounding a corner, she almost ran into an enemy gunman, and took him out with a shock to the head.

As she soon reached her destination, she threw open the heavy maintenance door and looked out over the sky. She saw the giant rotor, stone cold still and heavy as a house. She swore, then got to work, pulling open the sparking control panel and quickly placing her hand on it to take a reading. The whole thing needed a kick start, from what she could tell, and then it would be fine. Unfortunately, that would mean climbing onto the massive fan, zapping it with more volts than she had left, and then somehow getting off without cutting herself up, all whilst trying not to be noticed by the gunmen currently invading the ship, according to the voices in her earpiece. The chatter also told her that the hulk was on a rampage. She felt a twinge of guilt, as well as a twinge of... Something else.

Ignoring her fears, she took a single step out onto the thin blade edge which hung closest to her. _Remember Hungary_? She thought to herself. _Just like Hungary..._ Lightly, she moved across the small balance beam like a tight-rope walker, refusing to let herself look down at the tops of the clouds below. At the end, there was a gap, and without hesitation she closed her eyes and jumped, landing straight in the circular centre of the engine rotor.  
She knelt down, mentally preparing herself for what she had to do. Elena placed one palm flat in the centre, feeling her way down the wires and currents of the machinery until she found the epicentre.

She dredged up all the electricity she could muster, and sent the huge pulse into the engine. She felt it drain her, the electricity which had become an integral part of her pulling away. She felt as if it was tugging at her very cells, trying to meld them into the metal like a grotesque silver statue. A dull ache filled her as she continued to push. She could see the blades beginning to turn, and if she just kept going a little longer...

The ache was developing into a blinding pain, and she cried out as the blades spun faster and faster. She was reaching breaking point, but so was the machine. It was a battle of wills between the mechanisms and the human; who would let go first.

Then something broke down. Elena felt the resistance of the machine crumble, like an invisible barrier had just fallen. She had won, but now she was dizzy, drained, dying. The oversized fan kept turning, accelerating exponentially, and it was all Elena could do just to cling on. She resigned herself to the fact that she would not make it any further. She would die here, alone, spinning ridiculously like a discarded rag doll until someone eventually found her. She curled up into herself and waited.

She could feel the blood rushing to her extremities, thanks to the centrifugal force the rotation was causing. She had nothing left in her to save herself. But her salvation came from someone very unexpected, and more than a little unwelcome.

One moment she was alone, the next she was sitting in front of Loki, who looked down at her limp body and smiled smugly. Elena looked up at him with distaste. He couldn't do anything to her now- she was dying, and he couldn't make anything worse. The background around him swirled with dizziness, but the dark god seemed unaffected.

"You know, for someone so powerful, you're a very well kept secret." He began, smirking, pacing across the small surface as if it was his kingdom already. "But shield does like to keep threats locked away. I could use potential like yours. I could let you shine." He enticed. "Join me. Show them what you can really do."

"Too late, Loki." She mocked, impending doom making her lose any fear she might have had. "I'm a dead woman walking." Loki waved his hand flippantly.  
"Not if I have anything to do with it." He stared in silence for a while, expecting her to comment, but she refused to play to his ego. She casually put her hand up to her ear, hoping she could at least tell Coulson where Loki was.

"I wouldn't bother." The trickster God laughed. "Your little pal Coulson won't be answering anything for now. Spear through the back- nasty way to go." He grinned madly. Furious, Elena used what little strength she had left, and pushed herself, wobbling, onto her feet so that she nearly matched her enemy's height. She walked unsteadily towards him.  
"Then I will never fight for you." She spat. Loki started to laugh, loudly and dementedly.

Then he stopped. "The thing is, you don't have a choice in the matter." He raised his sceptre, ready to possess her. "There's no hope for your heroes now." He smiled, then the sceptre touched her chest and everything went white.

* * *

Thousands of feet below, an exhausted and undressed Bruce Banner was talking to a surprisingly calm janitor in a smashed-up warehouse. "You didn't notice anyone else fall, maybe a girl; quite small, brown hair?"

"Sorry buddy. I ain't seen no one else." Bruce sighed with relief. _At least she didn't fall to her death..._ He thought, optimistically.  
"I'd better get going." He said, grateful to the man for his help- grateful that he didn't run away at first sight of the other guy. He pulled himself off the mountain of rubble and made his way out of the building.

"Good luck with your girl!" The janitor waved goodbye. Bruce laughed and waved back. He was going to find the others.

* * *

"I hope you're all happy. None of this would have happened if you'd just done your work, instead of getting mixed up in politics and fighting amongst yourselves!" Fury growled. The remaining avengers sat, gathered around the table in the briefing room. On the table sat the blood-spattered trading cards from Coulson's collection. "We've lost Banner, Thor and Loki. Coulson is dead. The sceptre is taken and the enemy has the tesseract. The only good news is that we have Barton back!"

"What about Elena?" Asked Stark. "The hulk didn't turn on his sitter, did he?" He seemed genuinely worried. Stark seemed to believe there was something between the pair.  
"No." Fury answered. "One of our agents says he saw agent Electra with Loki on the engine she fixed, before they both disappeared."  
"Loki got the girl?" Steve asked guiltily.  
"Agent Electra appears to have been taken over by Loki." Fury finished.

"Well what are we waiting for then?" Said hawkeye, as he and Natasha appeared through the doorway, looking damaged but ready to fight. The other two smiled in welcome to their returned ally. "Let's go get her back."


	6. Chapter 6

**We broke twenty followers! First, thanks to Kage Kitsune 14 for being the only one who answered my question from last week! Seriously, I need to know whether you guys (my lovely followers) think I should keep going or not. I write for your enjoyment! **

* * *

She looked out over the edge of the tower indifferently. The wind whistled through her hair, now tied back perfectly in a characterless plait, as if to reflect her own emptiness. Elena felt nothing- but she knew her job, her duty to the new world that was coming. She turned back to Doctor Selvig, who was still fiddling around with the tesseract machine. "Is it finished?" She asked impatiently.

"I'm just waiting for the power to reach maximum capacity." Selvig informed her. Immediately, Elena snapped her fingers and the tesseract flared blue. It was ready to go. Pleased, Selvig completed his final adjustments and stepped back from his work, admiring it for the last time. He nodded to her. Elena stretched out her hands in one sharp motion, and immediately a bubble of electricity grew around the machine.

Elena's protective sphere held, and she remained there, eyes closed in concentration, holding it in position. Then she waited. She didn't have to wait long. It was minutes before iron man landed heavily on the roof. "Dr. Selvig!" He demanded. "Turn off the machine!" The doctor only laughed at him.

"It's too late! But he will give us a new universe!"

"Okay." Tony replied confidently. He raised his hand and fired directly at the machine, but the projectile hit the barrier and fizzled out, making no dent. The voice of Jarvis cut in. "The barrier is pure energy, sir. You cannot break it."

"Well, I think we know why he needed Elena." Tony muttered, turning around to see the girl standing menacingly behind him. She raised her hand towards him. "I don't think this is the time for that one on one." He said, grimacing, then flew up out of reach before she could do anything, landing in his own apartment, ready to face Loki.

* * *

The portal had opened. It had begun with the enormous beam of energy, shooting upwards into the sky like a rocket blasting off at the speed of light. Then, the hole had widened, gradually opening up to reveal the dark maw of space, releasing the invaders down upon the earth like a swarm of angry wasps.

Down below, the rest of the avengers had arrived. The battle was raging on, each of the heroes engaged in combat with one or many aliens, who were flying around the city wreaking havoc. The buildings were blasted and crumbling, and people ran through the streets in terror.

The police had given up on their useless potshots towards the invaders, and were now following the orders of Captain America, herding people underground and keeping a perimeter around much of the area. Up above, they could see the massive leviathans flying overhead, carrying hundreds of soldiers each, worming their way between the tight corners of the skyscrapers. Iron man had emerged from Stark tower in the updated suit, much to the surprise of the rest. Hawkeye and black widow were fighting side by side against the oncoming horde, along with Captain America.

Then suddenly, a lightning bolt struck them, blasting every enemy back until they dropped to the ground, dead. Thor was back on the scene. "What's going on up there?" Asked the captain.

"We cannot reach the tesseract. Elena is protecting it, nothing can destroy her barrier. I must get up there and stop her."

"What?" Tony Stark interrupted the conversation through VoiceOver.

"She is not the only one who can control lightning. I will go." Thor insisted.

"Are you kidding me?" Stark mocked. "That's exactly the problem with your plan. She'll absorb whatever you throw at her."

"Well then who can go?" Thor asked.

"I will." Natasha answered, quiet but assertive. "We need someone who can sneak up on her, plus I know her attacks from training together."

"There's a girl fight I wouldn't want to miss..." Stark commented.

"Alright, we're good to go." Captain America confirmed. Then, before they could make their move, a small, worn out motorbike puttered up beside them, carrying the dusty but human Bruce Banner.

"So this all seems horrible. Where's Elena?" Natasha turned to him.

"Really? Aliens flying around New York and all you can ask is where Elena is? She's the one on top of that building zapping anything that gets too close."

"Don't mind him, he's just got a thing for her." Stark laughed over the comms line. Banner blushed and denied the accusation several times, and it was Steve who eventually put them back on track.

"Anyway. Welcome back, doctor." He interrupted. "Tell him to get ready, I'm bringing the party to you." Tony told them. They all looked around to see an armoured leviathan heading their way.

"I don't see how that's a party!" Natasha commented, annoyed. "Anytime you wanted to get angry would be good right now." She directed at Banner. He looked at her, amused. "That's the secret, agent Romanoff. I'm always angry." His body started to stretch and grow, skin fading to bright green as the hulk appeared in his place. Stepping forward, he stood to face the chitauri leviathan, and punched it squarely on the nose. The monster flipped over itself, closely followed by iron man, who shot several rockets down at its now vulnerable body, blowing it apart.

The group stood for a moment, breathless and victorious as the army watched them in terror. Then they looked up. More and more leviathans flew from the portal, too many for any of them to handle. "Okay." Instructed the captain. "Romanoff, I think you should get to it. Everybody go." They all scattered, ready to eliminate the threat. Romanoff turned to Tony.

"Give me a lift?" She asked. He nodded, grabbing her by the arms and blasting up towards the top of the tower. They dodged through the chaos of the chitauri's flying chariots, Romanoff shooting at them with her gun to warn them off as the pair zoomed towards the base of the energy beam.

"Good luck." Tony told her, and suddenly he dropped her. She prepared herself for the shock, and landed with a neat roll onto the roof of the tower, noiseless and spider like. Elena was concentrating solely on maintaining the barrier, focused entirely on her task. It was one hell of a job, but somehow the agent wasn't tiring at all, even after holding it for so long. Selvig simply stood there, keeping watch over his precious machine.

Natasha's only option was to knock Elena unconscious. But how do you do that without being noticed for even a split second? This was going to be harder than she'd thought. Holstering her gun, Romanoff took a steady step towards her opponent, silent as a mouse. Then another. Then another. Then Elena seemed to sense her presence, spinning around in a blur and firing a bolt of electricity towards her.

Romanoff ducked and rolled out of the way, then sprinted towards Elena. She dodged another shot before reaching her target and aiming a swift kick at the girl's stomach, which Elena couldn't react fast enough to block. Natasha's foot connected, with the usual static shock that she had become used to during their training fights. She knew how Elena would want to play this. She ducked to avoid the inevitable upper cut coming from her right, but unfortunately didn't see the real move as her feet were swept out from under her by Elena's kick.

She fell hard on the cement, but ignored the pain and jumped straight back up again, grabbing Elena's head and shoving her downwards to try and bang it hard enough to knock her out, as she had done with Barton. Elena struggled under Natasha's death grip, and sent a surge of electricity into her hand, forcing her to let go. She then threw another lightning bolt at Romanoff, who fell to the ground, struck.

Elena walked over to the prone body of the black widow, a harsh smirk on her face. She knelt down beside her and looked into her eyes. Natasha could see the empty blue of the sceptre's control in her pupils. "I always did beat you in training." She laughed. "Unfortunately," Natasha groaned. "You really need to work on your aim." Suddenly recovered, she threw a strong punch straight in Elena's face, knocking her out. She stood up, brushing the dirt from her suit.

"Sucker." She smiled smugly. The barrier was gone now, and the machine lay open to attack. Selvig moved towards her, but then suddenly fell, weak. She could see the blue leaving his eyes as he regained his control. "Doctor?" She asked. He nodded. Something must have happened to Loki.

"I'm so sorry. I couldn't stop him... The sceptre..." He trailed off guiltily. "It's okay. It wasn't your fault." She placated.

"Just help me switch this thing off."


	7. Chapter 7

**Welcome to the final chapter of the movie! I'm taking an extra week off before the next update since the movie's over. Please take that time to review *hint hint* because I would really like to know what you all think, and whether you think I should continue as planned into my own plotlines! As always, Enjoy, and I'll see you in two weeks!**

* * *

Romanoff called into her earpiece desperately. "I can shut this thing down. Can anyone hear me? I can stop the machine!". It was Steve who replied.

"Do it, quickly! We can't hold these guys for much longer."

"No, wait!" Tony Stark entered the communications."Give me time. I've got a nuke here, ready to blow in about a minute and I know just where to put it."

"Through the portal? Stark, that's a one way trip." Captain America replied. There was no answer. Natasha swore to herself in Russian.

"We've got to keep it going just a little longer." She told Selvig. Then they saw him. Iron man was flying over the city, and then he reached them, and the eyes of the avengers followed him up through the portal above them, holding the nuclear missile. They could see the swarms of the mother ship hanging in space, ready to attack, but then Tony let go of the missile. It rocketed up into the black space, and exploded.

Around them, every alien started to shudder. Their chariots fell out of the air, the leviathans dropped like stones, and the invasion was over as quickly as it had begun. The chitauri lay on the ground, dead. They had won. Natasha smiled as she looked down into the wrecked city.

Then she really saw Tony. He was falling, the suit out of power. Still waiting, she shuffled about. This portal had to be closed. "Come on Stark... She murmured. The massive explosion was racing towards the opening.

"Close it." The instructions came, and Natasha followed. She signalled to Selvig, and he let the tesseract go. The portal shrank and shrank, Stark still falling downwards. She heard Steve over the earpiece.

"Son of a gun." He said gratefully, as Tony finally fell from the portal just in time before it closed up in front of him. But now he was plummeting towards the ground at the speed of a bullet.

"He's not slowing down." Thor noticed, speaking through the comms unit. Then a bolt of electricity came from behind her, hitting the suit in a perfect bullseye. Even from her distance, Natasha could see the lights flare back on, the eyes of iron man lit once again. Barely metres above the ground, the jets kicked in, and Tony somehow managed to gracefully land in the street, unharmed.

"Guess I don't need to work on my aim after all." Said Elena, striding up behind the black widow. "Sorry for trying to kill you there."

"Hey!" Tony called through the earpiece. "Thanks for that. Meet us on the top floor. We've got a bad guy to catch."

* * *

They stood on the cracked marble floor of the penthouse, staring down at the pathetic god before them. He hadn't noticed them yet, and was attempting to crawl his way to freedom, apparently too weak to stand. Elena almost felt sorry for him. But, then again, she really didn't.

He seemed to suddenly notice them, and slowly turned around, still wearing his signature smirk despite his loss. "If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink."

* * *

They all stood in Central Park, ready to go their separate ways. Thor shook each of their hands, saying a quick goodbye to each of the team. Selvig even earned a hug. Then he silently led a cuffed Loki to the tesseract's case.

Carefully, Bruce removed the cube, placing it inside a glass tube that Thor handed to him. Then the two gods each took an end of the tube, and stepped into the energy beam, sending them back to Asgard.

After the last sentimental goodbyes, the group splintered off. Barton and Romanoff into some shield cars, Steve to his Harley, and Stark into his expensive looking red car, where he sat waiting for Banner. But Bruce stopped, turning to Elena. He stood awkwardly for a minute, unsure of what to say, the Tony honked the horn at him loudly, and called over to him.

"That's no way to get a girl, at least say something!" Elena immediately burst out laughing, and Banner turned red.

"Sorry about him..." He began.

"Don't be." Elena interrupted. "Tell you what, if you ever need a babysitter, just give me a call." She joked.

"And no more being trapped inside bases for the rest of your life?" Bruce asked.

"Well, they can't really hide me now. Plus they know what I can do to them if they say no." She laughed. "I'm off on a mission now, actually."

"Well... just stay safe, okay?" Bruce answered unsurely. Elena smiled at him.

"I'm sure I'll be fine. By the way, Natasha told me something... Why was I the first thing you asked about when you got to New York?" Bruce turned even more red and didn't answer. "Okay then." She grinned knowingly. "I'll see you around." She turned to leave, then stopped short.

She quickly walked back, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Banner looked surprised.

"I didn't think they meant it about sparks from a kiss..." He smiled flirtatiously.

"Nope. That's just a little perk from kissing me." She gave him one last smile before jogging off and jumping into the last shield vehicle. It drove away, leaving Banner staring at the back of the car. Having witnessed the whole thing, forgotten, Tony honked the horn again.

"Hey, you coming or not?" He shouted. Banner walked back to the car. "Nice job."

"Shut up." He replied quickly. "Why? You're not getting... Angry, are you?" He said dramatically. The pair laughed at the private joke, and drove off, leaving Central Park empty behind them.

* * *

Fury and Hill walked together, towards the huge glass window of the helicarrier that opened up onto the world. "Sir, how does it work now?" Hill asked, concerned. "They've gone their separate ways, some pretty extremely far. We get into a situation like this again, what happens then?"

"They'll come back." Said Fury, simply.

"You really sure about that?"

"I am." He assured.

"Why?" Hill questioned, still unsure. "Because we'll need them to." Fury stood, smiling out on he view in front of him, as agent Hill walked away, ready to prepare for whatever would come next.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of the movie, only Elena.**

**Sneak peek for after the break: **

_Mission report  
Operatives: Agent Electra, Agent Aaronson  
Objective: Cyrus Torennt, capture alive  
Log:_ Seriously, Fury. I know that this is my first big mission and all, but did you really need to send the baby agent to report back to you? This guy can barely tell his code words from his passwords, am I right?


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm back! Hello readers, and welcome to Sparks chapter eight! Hopefully this is a bit of a funny break from all the action, and next week, Bruce is back. Fave, follow, review, and spread the word :) Enjoy!**

* * *

_Mission__ report _

_Operatives: Agent Electra, Agent Aaronson _

_Objective: Cyrus Torennt, capture alive _

_Log:_ Seriously, Fury. I know that this is my first big mission and all, but did you really need to send the baby agent to report back to you? This guy can barely tell his codewords from his passwords, am I right? But anyway, we found Cyrus hiding out in Dubai in some fancy hotel. The biggest problem with this mission was the fact that he managed to cut the electrics and try to run- too bad I just switched them back on again, huh? Anyway, some of his henchmen came for us and we had to fight them off, but they were idiots, so no issues there. He should be on his way back to you any day now for whatever tortures you plan.

_Record of incidents_: I might have accidentally sold Aaronson to a trader for a camel. All I know is I haven't seen him in two days and a guy literally just delivered a camel to my place.

_Mission report _

_Operatives: Agent Electra, Agent Aaronson _

_Objective: Terrorists currently in possession of alien technology, retrieve _

_Log_: Woo. You found him again. I still won't apologise. Get over it, Aaronson. Anyhow, Aaronson's informant told us the gang's location, in the desert. I managed to 'infiltrate' the base and took it apart from the inside out with some of my awesome skills. Aaronson had nothing to do with anything. Tech is headed back to you via Hill.

_Record of incidents_: By 'infiltrate' I mean I was 'kidnapped'. No matter what Aaronson says, he did not come in to save me, he is a liar, and I need a new partner.

_Mission report _

_Operatives: Agent Electra, Hawkeye _

_Objective: Dave Li, dead or alive _

_Log_: Now you're talking! Hawkeye and Electra on the road again... We dealt with the target in about ten minutes, so we got ourselves some coffee. It then transpired that our exit strategy was non-existent, so we were stuck at the airport for two days waiting for that snowstorm to blow over. We only got a flight by pretending we were on our way home to get married before Clint's dad died of food poisoning. (Not my best lie, but I was tired). Please don't tell Natasha that I was engaged to Clint for a day. I fear the consequences.

_Record of incidents_: I zapped Clint. Just once. He was bugging me.

_Mission report _

_Operatives: Agent Electra, Agent Ward _

_Objective: Destroy weapons base in Brazil _

_Log_: I like this guy. This guy I can work with. Serious, focused, skilled. He managed to sneak us into the base through the rainforest unnoticed, then I just activated the biggest bomb they had there, and job done. High fives all round. Screw you, Aaronson.

_Record of incidents_: Can I ask a favour? Tell Bruce hi from me. And if you ever tell anyone else that I asked for that, especially Stark, I will literally burn the damn rainforest.

_Mission report _

_Operatives: Agent Electra _

_Objective: Security detail for lab on secret location _

_Log:_ Okay, when I was promised a solo mission, I did not expect to spend two weeks on guard duty. Bored! Nothing happened. At all. Bunch of scientists tested some of the alien tech left by the chitauri. I got some reading done. Scratch that, I was working attentively the whole time. I swear.

_Record of incidents:_ Like I said. Nothing happened. At all. Ever.

_Mission report _

_Operatives: Agent Electra, Black Widow _

_Objective: Deep Cover, Russia _

_Log:_ A month in Russia with Romanoff, gathering information from a mafia ring. Should have been fun. Instead I spent the time pretending to be a famous dancer named Rachel (as it turns out, my dancing was actually alright!) and harvesting data from computers whenever they let me roam free. Good thing encryption is very easily decrypted when the computer does exactly what you tell it to. Still, old technology takes longer to wire through. Gathered enough information for you to shut it down or whatever it is you do. Romanoff worked the straight interrogation side. She's scarier than people give her credit, it was seriously impressive to watch. Extraction went off without a hitch.

_Record of incidents:_ Romanoff tried to teach me Russian so I could actually talk. I am now fluent in Russian, however in the earlier stages of the learning process I accidentally challenged a mafia leader to a dance-off, which I won. I am possibly now a prominent figure in the Russian mafia.

_Mission report _

_Operatives: Agent Electra, Agent Aaronson _

_Objective: Possible extraterrestrial, determine threat level if confirmed _

_Log:_ I thought I'd gotten rid of this guy! I'm pretty sure he thought he'd gotten rid of me too, if the look on his face for most of the mission was anything to go by. Your possible alien landing was actually just a reasonably sized comet, made of a metal no one's ever seen before. Not an alien, but definitely extraterrestrial. Recommending for further investigation. By the way, would love a vacation sometime!

_Record of incidents:_ For once, nothing went wrong (!)

_Mission report _

_Operatives: Agent Electra _

_Objective: Lois Forester, capture and interrogate _

_Log:_ This woman can run fast. Seriously. And in heels, too! I caught her outside her work and she just legged it, totally left me in the dust. Took me half an hour to catch up to her, until I eventually managed to knock her out with a bolt. Interrogation is more Romanoff's thing, but I managed to squeeze what she knows out of her. She has signed the 'don't tell' agreement. (I can't remember what it's actually called. That was awkward when I asked her to sign it- I sounded like the world's most threatening five year old.) Transcription of interrogation heading to you.

_Record of incidents:_ Putting in an application for a vacation. I've been working three months straight!

_Mission report _

_Operatives: Agent Electra, Agent Aaronson _

_Objective: Destroy covert research lab, Idaho_

_ Log:_ Alright. I'll admit it. Aaronson is not that bad. He kinda saved my ass back there. During entry to the lab we were surrounded by a squad of guards. One shot me from behind and he pushed me down out of the way. So he's good now. Anyway, we lay down explosives and blew the place sky-high. Good thing it was in Idaho, since there's nothing else there to actually blow up.

_Record of incidents:_ Still looking for that vacation time!

_Mission report_

_Operatives: Agent Electra _

_Objective: Erase compromising data from computer system of newspaper office _

_Log:_ Easy as pie. Sneak in in the night, wipe their hard drives of the incriminating data. Took a while since their hard drives were absolutely brimming with information, so I got a headache that makes a bomb explosion seem weak. You owe me. For example, with vacation time.

_Record of incidents:_ I downloaded said incriminating data onto a pen drive before deleting it all. If I don't get vacation time, I swear I will put it on the internet. THIS IS NOT A JOKE.


	9. Chapter 9

**Has anyone else seen Winter Soldier yet? Talk about excitement! Now I'm just desperate for Age of Ultron! ****Anyway, here's chapter 9- thanks for the reviews, since I'm finally getting a decent amount :) Remember to review, follow, or favourite if you like what you see. **

**Also, take a peek at my latest one shot, 'Patience, stealth and lack thereof'. Enjoy, and I hope you like the moment of cuteness at the end- writing romance isn't really my forte so I would love to hear how you think it's working out!**

* * *

"What's going on, Stark?" Elena half sprinted out of the elevator into the spacious apartment in Stark tower. "I thought you said there was an emergency?"

"Don't worry. There is. He should be here in a minute." Tony was waiting for her, a smug look on his face and an apron wrapped around his waist.  
"He? Come on, I'm on vacation, Tony. What is this?" Elena complained. Tony grinned as the elevator behind her dinged.  
"Taadaa!" He announced, grinning, as the metal doors slid open.

Bruce walked out, holding his phone in his hands. "What's this scientific breakthrough, then?" He sounded curious, until he looked up from his phone. He spotted Elena, and momentarily his brow creased with confusion. Then he seemed to realise something, and sent Tony a withering look. "Hi." He smiled awkwardly at Elena. "I need to talk to you for a second." He told Tony, attempting to corner him outside of Elena's hearing range.  
"It's good to share. Why not tell the room?" Tony replied infuriatingly. Bruce sighed, and said nothing.

"Okay, if everyone is happy then let's get to it!" Tony rubbed his hands enthusiastically.  
"Get to what?" Elena groaned. "A straight answer, please!"  
"Elena," Tony suddenly lowered his tone dramatically, staring theatrically into the distance. "You have been working for almost four months straight."  
"Have you been hacking shield again? I'm pretty sure that's classified." Elena interrupted. She was ignored.  
"And poor Doctor Banner has been stuck with me in the labs, moping."  
"I was not moping." Bruce interjected. Tony continued, not listening to either of his audience members.  
"Your whirlwind romance has petered out. I am here to rekindle the spark. No need to thank me." He finished.

Elena and Bruce looked to each other, both now thoroughly embarrassed. Then they both started laughing. "Whirlwind romance?" Elena nearly choked. "You're funny, Stark." Tony looked insulted.  
"Hey! I saw you two in Central Park. I have witnesses who can confirm everything. So you two are going to have a date, whether you like it or not."

* * *

They were soon to discover why Tony had been wearing an apron. He herded the pair into a room, with a table and two chairs. The table was set up with candles, plates, and a rose in a vase. Slow music played over the speakers. Elena tried hard not to laugh. When Tony Stark played matchmaker, he really went for it.

"Dinner will be served in five minutes!" He announced. "Cooked personally by yours truly. And Jarvis. I'll leave you two to get reacquainted." He subtly gave Bruce a thumbs up as he left the room, Elena and Bruce sitting awkwardly across the table from each other.

"So... How were your missions? The whole... Superspy thing working out?" Banner asked.  
"Yeah. Not as exciting as you'd think, but you never run out of things to do. What about you? Invented anything good recently?" She replied.  
"Just been doing some research with Tony." He answered. There was a moment of silence. Neither seemed to know what to do about the other. They had had something, Elena knew that, but four months was a long time. Had things really changed that much?

"I'm really sorry about this, I had no idea that he was planning anything." Banner said eventually. "Well, he had been dropping hints about seeing you, but..."  
"It's fine." Elena interrupted, laughing. "I sort of wanted to see you again, anyway." She admitted, nervously. Get it together! She told herself. Before it had been so easy, talking to him. What was wrong with her?  
"Oh..." Banner looked pleased, but unsure of how to answer. "I... Missed you too." He smiled. There was another long, silent pause.

"This is really awkward, isn't it." Elena finally broke the ice.  
"Yeah. Was it always this hard to talk to people?" Banner agreed, seeming relieved.  
"Sorry. Let's be honest, Tony has been planning this for months, hasn't he?"  
"I wouldn't doubt it." Bruce nodded. "When he gets a plan in his head..."  
"There's no stopping him!" Elena finished for him. "Look at this!" She giggled. "Candles, roses. And that music!"

Elena looked through the glass door and spotted their host returning. She winked at Banner, then snapped her fingers and the romantic slow music changed to heavy metal. They both turned innocently as Stark entered the room wielding a large tray, clouds gathering on his face as he heard the music.  
"Jarvis!" He called. "Turn off that racket!"  
"Of course, sir." Came the robotic voice from above. The music stopped suddenly as Bruce and Elena struggled to keep straight faces.

"The food is ready." He sighed, dropping the tray onto the table with fervour. He swung the silver lid from the plate to reveal a dish of some kind of pasta. It looked vaguely burnt. He grinned smugly. "Enjoy!" He left the room again, spying round the edge of the doorway for a second before eventually moving on.

They both looked at the dish distastefully for a minute, not doing anything. "Tell you what." Elena decided. "How about we go back to my place. We can order some takeaway and watch a movie, hopefully without being spied on."

Bruce considered for a second, then smiled warmly. "Sounds great." They stood up, Elena waving at the nearest camera. She could sense the camera's eyes on them, and could practically see Tony watching them on some screen somewhere. Bruce pushed open the door and checked the corridor.  
"All clear. Let's go." He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the corridor. Elena blushed at the contact, and allowed herself to be yanked along, quickly switching off all the cameras on the level so they wouldn't be seen.

They made it back to the elevator, laughing and panting from running. Elena pressed the button, and the clipped British tones of Jarvis interrupted their escape. "I have been instructed not to allow you access to the elevators." He said apologetically. Well, as apologetically as a computer could be.  
"Did he really think that would stop me?" Elena questioned smugly. "Jarvis, override instructions." She placed her hand on the elevator buttons, pushing through the circuitry until the doors slid open gracefully, and they stepped inside.

* * *

Elena had an apartment a few blocks away from Stark tower, just another one of the new freedoms she had earned after the battle of New York. After spending her entire life, as far back as she could remember, bunking in bases, it was a dream come true. She had spent a long time searching for the perfect place, and decorating it just as she liked. It was her space, hers completely, and she loved it.

They spent the night eating takeaway Chinese food, catching up on what they had missed, laughing with each other and blatantly ignoring Tony's voicemails. Elena dug through her extremely limited movie collection, (she didn't exactly have masses of spare time to watch films) and pulled out the first Lord of the Rings movie. They sat on the sofa, watching the film as it got dark outside and the stars came out.

Bruce couldn't remember when Elena fell asleep with her head on his shoulder, breathing lightly and jolting every so often, as if she was running in her dreams. It was sometime during the last hour of the movie, he was sure, but he didn't move her. Eventually, he fell asleep as well, and they stayed like that until they woke in the morning.


End file.
